THE CHESS ACADEMY HONG KONG
15th Annual ISF CHESS OPEN 2025
The Chess Academy proudly hosted The 15th Annual ISF Academy Chess Open on March 10th at the ISF Academy, showcasing state-of-the-art facilities. With a record participation of nearly 400 players from 79 diverse international and local schools in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, this event is one of our largest interschool competitions in Hong Kong. Students competed fiercely over 7 rounds for both individual and team accolades. The opening ceremony featured welcoming addresses by Athletic Director Mr. Zach Rice from ISF and Founder & CEO Mrs Grace So from ActiveKids.
Tournament Overview
The tournament encompassed 4 distinct sections, each playing 7 rounds.
U6 Section
22 brave newcomers made up the U6 section, with the youngest player being born in 2020! We are happy and privileged to have the opportunity to introduce the world of chess to this fresh batch of woodpushers. We look forward to continuing seeing these players climb up the scholastic ladder of chess.
Dominating this section was Lam Chi Hong Forest from Causeway Bay Victoria, achieving a perfect score of 7 out of 7. Following closely were his schoolmates from HKIS: Richard Li with 6 points and Yutian Alexander Tu with 5.5 points. The Best Female award went to Charisse Lau from St. Paul’s Day Nursery, who secured an impressive 6th place overall.
The overall team champion was ISF, with CIS and HKIS coming 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Individual Results
Age 5 winners – Nick Ellison (Caritas Kindergarten)
Age 6 winners – Liam Cheung (Independent School Foundation Academy)*
1st Place Female – Charisse Lau (St Paul’s Day Nursery)
2nd Place Female – Chloe Yu (Causeway Bay Victoria Kindergarten)
3rd Place Female – Gwyneth Loh (ISF Academy)*
1st Place – Lam Chi Hong Forest (Causeway Bay Victoria Kindergarten)
2nd Place – Richard Li (Hong Kong International School)
3rd Place – Yutian Alexander Tu (Hong Kong International School)
4th Place – Lee Hoi Fung Michael (Chinese International School)
5th Place – Li Mingxi (Quarry Bay School)
6th Place – Archie Harte (Independent School Foundation Academy)
Team Results
1st Place Team – Independent School Foundation Academy
2nd Place Team – Chinese International School
3rd Place Team – Hong Kong International School
4th Place Team – Causeway Bay Victoria Kindergarten
5th Place Team – Caritas Kindergarten
6th Place Team – Quarry Bay School
Results – https://chess-results.com/tnr1124509.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=7&turdet=YES
Lower Primary Section
In the lower primary we had an impressive 135 participants, with some of the strongest players of their own sections and also some already being National Champions. Historically this section has been one of the best attended and fiercely contested. With these types of events, young players get the opportunity to measure their strength against various players and get a sense of where they stand in their respective age group.
With another perfect score, it was Trajan Gai from Malvern College who dominated the Lower Primary Section, closely trailed by a massive 8 player tie with 6 out of 7 points. Just an outstanding example of the strength this section possesses. Coming in 2nd and 3rd with stronger tie-breaks were Lixia Sonia Peng, U8 National Champion last year from Clearwater Bay School and Nathanael Lik Shun Chan from St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary. Also with 6 points but weaker tie-breaks were last year’s U8 National Champion and Lower Primary winner, Clayton Lau and this year’s U10 National Champion Jake Chong.
Chinese International School captured the first team award, with St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary in second place and YCIS in third.
Individual Results
Age 7 Winner – Anderson Fok (Causeway Bay Victoria Kindergarten)
Age 8 Winner – Asher Yan (Alliance Primary School Kowloon Tong)*
Age 9 Winner – Jonathan Huang (Kennedy School)*
1st Place Female – Sarah Sun (Victoria Shanghai Academy)*
2nd Place Female – Litan Elena Peng (Clearwater Bay School)
3rd Place Female – Sallie King (Chinese International School)
1st Place – Trajan Gai (Malvern College Hong Kong)
2nd Place – Lixiao Sonia Peng (Clearwater Bay School)3rd Place – Nathanael Lik Shun Chan (St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary School)
4th Place – Clayton Lau (Bradbury School)*
5th Place – Jake Chong (Kiangsu-Chekiang College, International Section)
6th Place – Chan Chi Ngo Declan (Harrow International School Hong Kong)
7th Place – Lam Cheuk Nam (Ying Wa Primary School)
8th Place – Cheung Wing Shek Julien (Shatin Junior School)
9th Place – Xin Zhuoer (CCC Wanchai Church Kei To Primary School)
Team Results
1st Place Team – Chinese International School
2nd Place Team – St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary3rd Place Team – Yew Chung International School
4th Place Team – Beacon Hill School
5th Place Team – Independent School Foundation Academy
6th Place Team – LaSalle Primary School
Results – https://chess-results.com/tnr1124510.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=7&turdet=YES
Upper Primary Section
Just as large in number of participants was the Upper Primary Section with an outstanding 141 players. This section has some of the most active players in the Hong Kong chess scene. With a few already having played National events and rated weekend tournaments. The quality and strength can be reflected in the number of players already with an established FIDE rating, which in itself is a challenge!
With yet another perfect score, it was Law Ching Yin from CAIS that took top honours, with again a strong group of players close behind at 6 points. It was Kong Shen Heng Nathan from Logos Academy and Wang Yuanjin Jake from St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary who rounded the top three. Best female was taken by Elise Kelly from Marymount Primary School.
St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese managed to win top honours in the Upper Primary section, followed by CIS and CAIS.
Individual Results
Age 10 Winner – Lau Chi Wang Clement (ISF Academy)*
Age 11 Winner – Darius Tan (Stamford American School)
Age 12 Winner – Bruce Qin (Chinese International School)
1st Place Female – Elise Kelly (Marymount Primary School)*
2nd Place Female – Liu Ellie Yi Chan (Chinese International School)
3rd Place Female – Lakshika Jain (Kellett School)*
1st Place – Law Ching Yin (CAIS)
2nd Place – Kong Shun Heng Nathan (Logos Academy)
3rd Place – Wang Yuajin Jake (St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary School)
4th Place – Say Hou Wang Isaac (Bradbury School)*
5th Place – Brandon Young Alto (St. Stephen’s College Preparatory School)
6th Place – Luk Marcus Jasper (Singapore International School)
7th Place – Lincoln Or (St. Stephen’s College Preparatory School)
8th Place – Leung Lucas Joy San (Shatin College)
9th Place – Yueh Kevin Hoi Fung (Ying Wa Primary School)
Team Results
1st Place Team – St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary
2nd Place Team – Chinese International School
3rd Place Team – Christian Alliance International School
4th Place Team – Singapore International School
5th Place Team – St. Stephens College Preparatory School
6th Place Team – Independent School Foundation Academy
Results – https://chess-results.com/tnr1124512.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=7
Secondary Section
The most notable section of the day and event was none other than the Secondary Section. A true testament to our mission of bringing chess to new generations of young players, the number of participants in this year’s secondary section proved just that. Usually one of the least attended, with some events sometimes just enough players for a round-robin, this year we witnessed a spectacular attendance of 96 players! In some years, that could be the attendance of an entire tournament, but this year is just a section! Most of these players come from the Upper Primary sections and some have been participating since their U6 sections days. The continuity is gratifying to us all involved in seeing the number of players growing and we hope to continue to help grow chess in Hong Kong.
This section has some already well-known and established stars in the Hong Kong chess scene. Taking top honours with a perfect score, was HKIS chess stand-out Jamison Edrich Kao, who has cemented himself as not only a top scholastic player but also a top contender for any championship event to represent Hong Kong. Surely he will remain at the fore-front of chess in Hong Kong for years to come. Close behind was Krishiv Shah from GSIS and ISF’s Brandon Jun Qiao Fang who was last year’s Upper Primary section champion. Best female was captured by Chloe Lau from South Island School.
ISF took top honours in the team event, with HKIS and Raimondi College making up the top three. ISNS from Shenzhen came fourth.
Individual Results
Age 13 Winner – Kainos Wong (CAIS)
Age 14 Winner – Amartya Agarwal (Island School)
Age 15 Winner – Kevin Fan (La Salle College)
Age 16 Winner – Ng Ka Hin Jonathan (Raimondi College)
Age 17 Winner – Cheng Yongzhen (Hong Kong International School)
1st Place Female – Chloe Lau (South Island School)*
2nd Place Female – Renee Chen (Canadian International School)*
3rd Place Female – Marissa Lee (South Island School)*
1st Place – Jamison Edrich Kao (Hong Kong International School)
2nd Place – Krishiv Shah (German Swiss International School)*
3rd Place – Fang Brandon Jun Qiao (Independent School Foundation Academy)*
4th Place – Lam Chun Yung Samuel (Independent School Foundation Academy)
5th Place – Lee Man Sau (Raimondi College)
6th Place – Cheng Chin Chong (La Salle College)
Team Results
1st Place Team – Independent School Foundation Academy
2nd Place Team – Hong Kong International School
3rd Place Team – Raimondi College
4th Place Team – International School of Nanshan Shenzhen
5th Place Team – La Salle College
6th Place Team – Diocesan Boys’ School
Results – https://chess-results.com/tnr1124514.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=7
This year’s ISF Academy Chess Open was a resounding success, showcasing the growing interest in chess among young players in Hong Kong. We look forward to seeing these talented individuals continue to develop in future competitions!
*Players / School under TCA Coaching
Next on our TCAHK Chess Calendar
- TCA Beginners’ Tournament on April 6
- TCA Travel Program – Thailand 22nd BCC Open & Challenger on Apr 12-21
- TCA Road-to Master Easter Rapid Tournament on Apr 20 – 21
- TCA Hong Kong Scholastic Championship on Jun 8
Join US!! Hope to see all of you again then!
